The 72nd Hunger GamesShe Falls Asleep
by JayJayGinge
Summary: My own fanfiction of The Hunger Games. These are my own characters and a different story line to the original Hunger Games.


THE HUNGER GAMES

SHE FALLS ASLEEP

By Jamie Shakeshaft

19/05/12

Chapter 1

Fern woke to the sound of padding footsteps across the smooth wooden floor of her home. She opened her eyes groggily and glanced around the cramped room anxiously. She could make out the small figure of her brother Kai climbing into bed with her older sister Lorena. Fern relaxed from her tense state and closed her eyes again. She listened to the soft sounds of her sister soothing their brother.

"Shhh Kai, go back to sleep, it's alright." Lorena whispered.

"What if Fern gets into trouble today? There will be lots of peacekeepers and she might get noticed." Kai sobbed quietly.

"She hasn't ever been caught before so she'll be fine today Kai, don't worry." There was silence for a few minutes.

"What if Fern or I get picked?" Lorena didn't respond to his question at first.

"It won't happen Kai, I won't let them." Fern drifted back into sub-consciousness.

When she awoke again it was the usual time that she got up. She sat up and stretched her stiff arms. She tensed again. Today was reaping day. It was the day that everyone feared the most. One girl and one boy between the ages of twelve to eighteen would be selected to compete in the Hunger Games for their district-of which there were 12. The Hunger Games were a completely barbaric punishment formed by the Capitol-the government and leaders of the country Panem-72 years ago. This year was the 72nd Hunger Games. During the Hunger Games the tributes from each district would be trained to look after themselves in the wilderness and to fight to the death against each other. Twenty-four tributes would go in but only one could come out alive to be taken home. The other twenty-three would have been brutally murdered. It was punishing the country of Panem for a war that District 13 started before the Hunger Games. District 13 had rebelled and were consequently blown up. The Capitol had created the Hunger Games to teach the Districts that they were helpless against the Capitol and to remain on top. However the games had become a way of entertainment for the people of the Capitol. The games were televised and the Capitol enjoyed watching it.

Fern glanced at her siblings asleep in the bed next to her. Her sister-Lorena-had turned nineteen a few weeks ago, making her ineligible for the Hunger Games. She had survived six years without being forced into the arena where the tributes were sent to kill and be killed. Lorena was like the mother of the small family as their real mother had died from food-poisoning seven years before. They lived in District 10 where Panem's meat was produced, so it wasn't a rare case but they still had trouble accepting the fact that she was gone. They still had their father but he was more of a worker so found it harder to care for the children emotionally. Lorena looked rather similar to their mother. She had short light brown hair and green eyes. She was relatively small for her age and was very thin. Lorena made the perfect mother despite only being young. She was very maternal and happy so she knew how to make Kai smile. She gets on with the jobs that need doing without complaining and she always keeps herself busy. Many people think that Lorena copes with her mother's death by keeping herself preoccupied. Lorena's thin arm was latched protectively over Kai. Kai was twelve and it was his first year being an option for the games. It worried him terribly. Kai is quite tall for his age but is also gangling and weak. He is built for speed but not for strength. Fern had spent the past few agonising days thinking out strategies for Kai if he was chosen at the reaping today. He would be able to run and get out of the way easily but if he was caught by another tribute he would most likely be killed as he doesn't know how to use a weapon properly and isn't strong enough to fight them off. He would be able to hide if the arena was a forest of some sort but it was never the same. Some years it would be a desert, others a forest but others an arctic wasteland. He had no special skills apart from being good with the horses on their ranch. Their family worked on one of the ranches as herders so they had plenty of horses to keep Kai fascinated. Kai is sweet, innocent and gentle but he is also strong-minded and eager to help and learn. So if he was picked there would be a chance for him to teach himself how to use a weapon in the few days of training before the games. He has their mother's light brown hair but their father's blue eyes.

Fern sighed and stood up. She grabbed her clothes and changed into them. She wore a plain green t-shirt and black jeans. She picked up her dark brown jacket and bag. She slipped her arms into her sleeves and clipped the bag strap around her waist so that the small satchel-like bag attached to it rested on her left thigh. She ran a hand through her medium dark blonde hair. She kept it down as she didn't ever care for appearance on the ranch-or even anywhere for that matter. She had her father's hair but her mother's bright green eyes. She sat down on the edge of her bed to put her boots on. They looked like a cross between hiking boots and horse riding boots so that they were suitable for both of her daily activities. Fern stood up to leave the bedroom when she heard a small whimper. She whipped her head around in the direction of her sister's bed. Kai was sat up in his sister's bed with scared, watering eyes.

"Don't go." He begged silently. "The peacekeepers will see you hunting and they'll punish you for poaching. You could get whipped or put in prison-or hung!" His lip quivered. Kai had only been five when their mother died but he wasn't eager to lose another family member. Fern sighed before walking over to sit on her bed. Kai scrambled away from Lorena and onto Fern's lap. Kai leant into her shoulders as Fern gently rocked him from side to side.

"Kai you know I have to go, we don't have enough food or money to last us this week. I didn't get much yesterday. And besides, I've never been caught in my life. I'll be fine." Fern smiled weakly at her younger brother. He gazed up at Fern with a tear-stricken face. He hugged her tighter before hopping off her lap and climbing back into bed with Lorena.

"Just b-be care-f-ful." He stuttered through sobs. Fern bent down to gently kiss his forehead. She placed her hand against his cheek.

"Of course I will." She smiled.

Fern left the room swiftly-she had already lost enough time. When she opened the bedroom door she was greeted by her excited dog Mateo. Mateo was a German shepherd and helped Fern when she went hunting. Mateo would track down the animal and Fern would kill it using either a spear or bow and arrows. Mateo was also good at helping around the ranch. He was trained to fight off any animals-like wild dogs-if they tried to get at the cows or horses, he also herded the animals occasionally and simply kept the family feeling loved after the death of their mother. Fern bent down to pat Mateo and he cried excitedly. He knew where they were going and was eager to get out of the small house. Fern paced over to the couch and pushed it forward slightly. When it had moved, she knelt down to pull up some of the floorboards. Underneath the floorboards there was a bow, a sheath of arrows and a spear. Fern picked up the sheath of arrows and strapped it firmly over her head and shoulder. She then reached for the bow and spear. The bow fit nicely around her arm and she carried the spear. She had an alright aim using the bow but she relished using the spear. She wasn't too strong but she could throw the spear with great force and it was easier to use whilst running-which Fern did a lot of due to her sporty build. Fern cautiously approached the door with Mateo trotting behind her. She unlocked it and poked her head out. Kai had been right; there was an abundance of peacekeepers prowling around the edge of town. The ranch that Fern and her family lived on wasn't very far from town but if she was careful she could probably sneak past the peacekeepers unseen. If they caught her then they would be interested to know why she was up at this time in the morning when not even the farmers were awake. Also the reason for her carrying lethal weapons would be hard to explain.

Mateo whined and pawed at the door to speed Fern up. She hushed him quickly. Mateo obediently sat down behind her. The closest pair of peacekeepers were about to turn around the corner of a building, Fern would have only one chance to dart around the house and towards the forest. She tensed up, ready to run. Mateo-sensing her tension-stood up and readied himself next to her. Fern saw the light from the peacekeepers torches disappear and she jumped out of the door. Mateo ran out behind her before Fern closed the door. When Fern had surveyed the areas at the side of the house, they darted towards the trees. Fern ran at Mateo's heels past the sleeping cows and horse stable. The wind blew Fern's hair back in a swirling mess as she glided into the trees. There was no electric fence surrounding District 10 so that the animals couldn't walk into it accidently and cost the Capitol a whole cows worth of meat. The other districts all had fences around them to keep the locals in. Fern halted and Mateo trotted forward slightly. He sniffed the air and looked back at Fern.

"Go on boy, find it." Fern commanded Mateo to hunt down what he had smelt. Mateo barked and bolted off further into the dark woods in pursuit of his prey. Fern chased after him with her spear at the ready. Mateo agilely leapt over fallen trees and around bushes whilst keeping his rapid pace. Most people would have had trouble following Mateo but Fern was fast and had been doing this for years. She easily kept within good range of Mateo and kept her eyes open for the animal that Mateo was seeking. Fern looked for Mateo and saw him crouching low in a stalking stance. She halted a few feet away from him. Fern didn't like Mateo killing the animals as he tended to make a mess of it but Mateo was very skilled at catching it quickly. Fern crept up to Mateo, keeping her head low, and patted his back. He took a step back but never relaxed in case the animal decided to run. Fern turned her head in the direction that Mateo was staring in. She spotted the large rabbit that Mateo had been running after. Fern slowly placed her spear on the ground by her feet. She slid an arrow out from the sheath but the rabbit heard her. Its large ears twitched as its head snapped up to look for the cause of the noise. Fern stopped moving and kept extremely still. Her breathing became quiet and her eyes focused on the rabbit. Once the rabbit had lowered its head again, Fern slotted her arrow into the right position in the bow. She took a deep breath in before breathing out slowly and relaxed her muscles, bringing the bow up and using her mouth as an anchor. Just as the rabbit glanced up again and its beady, black eyes met Fern's, she let go of the arrow. It slid through the air and wedged itself though the top of the rabbit's head. Fern smiled but then cursed under her breath. She had been aiming for the area around the eye. If the arrow had gone up a bit more it would have missed the rabbit. Fern needed more practice.

Mateo barked happily and trotted over to the dead carcass. He turned his lolling head towards Fern and wagged his tail approvingly. Fern smiled at him as she crossed the distance between them. Mateo sniffed at the rabbit and whined when Fern snatched it away. Fern hauled it up to examine it. It was fairly big and rather chubby. Mateo continued to whine. Fern's eyes automatically shot down to look at Mateo. He was lying on his back with his belly up and his shiny brown eyes were wide with pleading. Fern tilted her head to the side. Mateo yipped and stuck out his tongue. Fern then drew the arrow out of the rabbit and used the sharp head to tear off the rabbit leg. Fern cut deeper into the rabbit leg until she had reached the bone. She then began to rip pieces of the rabbit's flesh off with her fingers and throwing them to Mateo. Once all the meat had been devoured by the gleeful dog, Fern tossed the bone away and headed to the stream. She always used this stream to wash any blood off her hands and to clean the newly caught animals. The stream was only a few centimetres deep and about a meter wide but it was sufficient for Fern's daily needs. The stream also had small groupings of edible plants surrounding it. Those groupings lead to a clearing in the forest where even more plants grew. There was a large variety of plants there so Fern made sure to spend most of her day there. Meat wasn't always offered to District 10 in large amounts but there was more meat than edible plants or vegetables.

Once at the stream, Fern knelt down and dipped her arrow into the clear, flowing water and watched the deep red blood seep away. Mateo greedily guzzled away at the water. Fern stood up to attach the dead rabbit to her bag belt. Mateo had ceased drinking and was now relaxing in the stream.

"Hunt Mateo." Fern said. Mateo's ears pricked up and he looked up at her at the command but he couldn't smell anything. He remained sat in the stream.

"No more animals then boy? Come on then, let's go to the clearing." Fern tapped her right leg and began to walk to the clearing. Mateo hopped up to follow her. He rubbed his head against her leg so she scratched his ear. It took them half an hour of following the plant trail before they emerged into the clearing. It was teaming with life. Arrays of birds were perched on branches jutting out of the bushes as they pecked at the purple berries. Delicate butterflies hovered around the bright flowers and some of the bigger birds soared across the sky-in search of food themselves. Mateo went stiff at Fern's side. Then he bolted off into the long grassy area. Fern stayed were she was as he usually did this when he had seen an animal he wanted. The peacefulness of the clearing was interrupted by a series of low growls and throaty barks. Then it went silent. Fern gave a long, high-pitched whistle and Mateo trotted out of the grass hauling a large, limp rabbit by its foot. Fern knelt down and Mateo reluctantly dropped it at her feet. The neck of the rabbit was shredded and covered with blood but most of the meat was in the stomach area so people would still buy it. Fern hooked it to her bag belt alongside the other rabbit and patted Mateo. Fern quickly strode over to the bushes. She had to hurry as the rabbits would start to rot soon. Fern glanced up at the sky and could see the sun towering over the trees. She moved quickly to pick the berries and place them in her bag-startling the birds with her rapid movements. They scattered and flew off in different directions. Mateo gleefully jumped up to catch them but failed as they flew too fast. He watched them for a while until he settled down into the soft grass to lounge in the glowing sun.

Fern finished collecting the berries and marched over to the edible plants on the ground. She pulled them up out of the earth and used her arrows to slice off the roots. There were turnips and carrots and other plants that could be cooked to be placed into a stew. Her small hip-satchel had been filled with berries so Fern removed her tattered brown jacket and tied the sleeves. She turned it into a handy little bag which could be worn by placing the tied sleeves around your neck so it hung against your stomach. Fern was there for an hour, collecting all different types of foods to sell and use for her family. She also made sure to collect some medical plants for the small, underfunded medical centre of District 10. Fern stopped to check the suns position. Most people would be waking up by now, particularly the farmers. Fern wiped a mucky hand across her sweaty forehead and glanced at Mateo. He had dosed off in the heat. She whistled to him and his head snapped up.

"Come on Mateo, time to go home." Fern whispered. Mateo rose to his feet and stretched. Then they began the long trek back to the house.

They arrived at the stables to find Kai already tending the horses. He saw Fern and dropped the horse brush. He scampered over to Fern and wrapped his thin arms around her. His head was just below Fern's shoulders. Fern brushed a hand through his messy hair and sighed.

"Come on you; help me get this food inside." Fern handed him a few plants and vegetables. She kept the rabbits strapped to her belt. Mateo ran into the field among the cows and began sniffing around them. They moved into a closer knitted group at his arrival-thinking that he would chase them. Fern and Kai crept along the side of the house.

"Have the peacekeepers been lurking?" Fern asked.

"No, they've been busy in town." Kai answered cheerfully. Fern hesitantly stepped out from behind the house. She surveyed the area. No peacekeepers. Fern beckoned for Kai to follow her and continued on into the house. She set the food down on the table. Lorena's face lit up when she saw the food. She smiled and enveloped Fern into a warm hug. She then began organising the food into piles of what they needed and what they could sell. While she did this, Fern headed back outside. An old, open-roofed carriage-towed by a large brown horse-was parked at the front of their small house. Fern curiously approached the horse and rubbed along its snout. It sniffed Fern's hand before closing its eyes to enjoy its cuddle. Fern patted the horse's neck as she moved to the back of the carriage to investigate. Then she spotted him. Tristan Taro. Fern froze and her breathing became ragged. He was loading crates of meat onto the carriage. Tristan was the eldest son of District 10's butcher. He appeared every two weeks to ship the crate of cow meat onto his carriage and take them to his dad's shop.

Tristan had thick reddish brown hair and blue eyes. He was 15 years old and was tall for his age-almost as tall as her dad. He had a sort of stocky build. He lived in the house next to the butchers with his dad, mum, two brothers and sister. His first brother was 13 and was called Finley. Finley had the same thick, reddish brown hair and blue eyes. He was also tall for his age but his muscles hadn't quite made an appearance yet. His other brother, Jared, was 10. His hair was a charcoal black but his eyes were blue like his brothers. Tristan's youngest sibling was his sister, Holli. She was 8. She had reddish brown hair like her brothers and the same blue eyes. She was extremely sweet and average height but she was very skinny. She had been born underweight and they couldn't seem to fatten her up. That wasn't her family's fault however, as there wasn't enough food. Tristan was very charismatic and always tried to talk to Fern. Fern often found it very easy to talk to him but he was her weakness. Every time she spoke to him, while words flew out of her mouth really easily, her body would react quite differently. Her legs wouldn't feel stable and her face would go hot. Her eyes would bore into his and she would subconsciously lean towards him without realising until she was almost touching him. She always felt really pathetic around him. That was why she hated talking to him, but she enjoyed and looked forward to it more than anything else in the world at the same time. Fern was torn between running off and wandering past to see if he would talk to her. Just as she was about to turn around to run off, he called her name. She had taken too long to decide.


End file.
